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Nelson Mandela

​Poster that calls to Boycott south african goods (KRA\3719)Nelson Mandela, a man who became a symbol for the struggle against the apartheid government of South Africa, passed away last week. The social and political conditions in South Africa influenced the Jewish community that lived there, and are reflected in the correspondence files of the various bodies of the Zionist Movement and other general Jewish organizations held at the CZA. For example, a file belonging to the World Jewish Congress Office in London contains a statement delivered by Mary Benson before the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid in South Africa from 1964. In her statement she describes the story of the people who were sentenced at the “Rivonia Trial”. This trial was conducted against the leaders of the African National Congress, including Nelson Mandela, who were accused of acts of terrorism against the Government. Nelson Mandela was already in jail for other charges when this trial was held.
 
Mary Benson turned to the UN with a request for help. Mandela's supporters feared that he and the other detainees would be sentenced to death. In order to prevent this,  Mary Benson asked the UN to take measures against South African leadership. Due to international pressure, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released in 1990, and in 1994 the apartheid regime came to its end.